RHR EP 62: Fear, Phobias, and Splatterpunk: When Terror Becomes Entertainment The RHR crew, with Splatterpunk author Phrique, explores the neuroscience of fear, disgust, and find out exactly where terror ends and entertainment begins. jothamaustin.substack.com/p/fear-phobi...

RHR EP 60: Lassoing the Truth Serum No April Fools here. Philosopher David Detmer joins the RHR crew to explore the neuroscience, philosophy, and social forces that make telling the truth harder to lasso than it sounds. jothamaustin.substack.com/p/lassoing-t...

Episode 58: Chatbots & Human Connection We explore the cognitive science of chatbots, illusion of understanding, and whether we’re discovering something about AI or ourselves. With special guests Lily and Generoso @plasticgrapes.bsky.social jothamaustin.substack.com/p/the-scienc...

RHR Podcast EP 56: Medicine of the Future: From Fantasy to Patient Care From Gila monster spit to AI-designed therapies, modern medicine is starting to feel magical. Physician-author Davis Ashura helps us separate the Handwavium from the science. jothamaustin.substack.com/p/medicine-o...

Thanks @science-dude.bsky.social It was a great conversation, we went down many rabbit holes. I cannot wait to share it with everyone.

Rabbit Hole of Research EP 55: Energy Directed Weapons: Who Turned Off the Lights? Ray guns, phasers, and plasma bugs, oh my! We've been dreaming of the perfect energy weapon for centuries. But can physics keep up with the fantasy? jothamaustin.substack.com/p/energy-dir...

RHR EP:54 What’s Love Got To Do With It? Is love just hormones and neural circuits, or something transcendent? Join us for a Valentine’s season exploration of love, attachment, and what it all means. With guest Joe Compton Listen where you find podcasts. jothamaustin.substack.com/p/whats-love...

Rabbit Hole of Research Podcast Episode 53: Space Arks and Colonizing New Worlds What does it take to restart civilization on a new world? Author Roland Pitts joins us to explore the engineering, ethics, & impossible choices of building humanity’s last ark. jothamaustin.substack.com/p/space-arks...

Rabbit Hole of Research Podcast Ep 49: The Heart of a Superhero We crack open the human heart with guest bioengineer Dr. Rengasayee “Sai” Veeraraghavan, we cover everything from real-world nano-physiology to the wild anatomy of superheroes. jothamaustin.substack.com/p/the-heart-...

EP 47: Who Goes There? The Thing and The Shape of Paranoia What is The Thing? In this episode, we dissect the biology, history, and deep paranoia at the heart of John Carpenter’s 1982 classic—and ask whether The Thing could infect more than just humans. jothamaustin.substack.com/p/ep-47-who-...

EP 46: Slashers At Chicago’s Reed's Local, we team with Slasher Sauces’ Jesse & Alana & Reed’s co-owner Melissa to dice-up the slasher genre. Origins, psychology, cult favorites, & the Final Girl. Listen where you find podcasts, or click this link: jothamaustin.substack.com/p/ep-46-slas...

[Part 2] Congrats to the #finalists of the 2025 Book of the Year Awards. #Winners will be announced in December and honored at a ceremony in January 2026. Visit chicagowrites.org/book_of_the_... for more details. #bookoftheyear #books

Congrats to all the finalists!

In this episode of the Chicago Writes Podcast, we have CWA's Book of the Year director, board member, and science fiction author Jotham Austin, II PhD (@jomega22.bsky.social). #Listen to this #episode on Podbean: chicagowrites.podbean.com/e/talkin-sci... #chicagowritespodcast #podcast #interview

I’ll will be doing a book club Q&A at Reed's Local (it’s their 100th book club meeting!) on Tuesday July 29 7:30 pm for my sci-fi psychological thriller: “Will You Still Love Me If I Become Someone Else?” Event Details here: allevents.in/chicago/rl-b...

CWA's 15th Annual Book of the Year #contest is open for #submissions. Check out the website for the entry form and contest rules. New for this year's contest, we have added categories for #poetry! Visit: www.chicagowrites.org/book_of_the_... #bookoftheyearcontest #books

I’ve been keeping this news under wraps for a while now, but I’m thrilled to share that my short story will be featured in the upcoming anthology, “Red Line: Chicago Horror Stories.” I’m incredibly honored and excited to be a part of this collection. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽😊🎉 frombeyondpress.com/books/red-li...

I’ve met some of my best writing friends at the Chicago Writers Association Conference! If you’re looking for a supportive, inspiring community, great speakers, writing workshops, agent pitch event, and more — click that link below and meet your next writing besties. www.chicagowrites.org/conference

Episode 30: Money of the Future We dig into fictional economies, currency systems, and the role of finance in sci-fi, fantasy, and how film and novels handle world-building around financial systems. With Special guest @amrangowani.com open.substack.com/pub/jothamau...

Happy Friday! Today is the 1-year anniversary of our podcast: Rabbit Hole of Research! It’s a science talk show where we dive deep into science through the lens of pop culture, sci-fi, and fantasy. Find us where you get your podcasts or click the link: open.substack.com/pub/jothamau...

Happy New Year!

Happy Friday. See y’all at happy hour! open.substack.com/pub/jothamau...

Happy Friday. See y’all at happy hour!🍻

Happy Thursday! First snow in Chicagoland!

Happy Saturday! I’m going to see @pennstatefball.bsky.social at Purdue with @teral.bsky.social Go lions!😊

Happy Friday. See y’all at happy hour!

Georgia and I will be out at the Midwest Lit Fest. Come out and say hello! Thornton Distillery at 400 E Margaret St, Thornton, IL 60476, on Sunday, November 24, from Noon until 5:00 PM.

Happy Wednesday. Half way to happy hour. Podcast release day! Episode 22: Multiverse jothamaustin.substack.com/p/episode-22...

Check out our podcast Rabbit Hole Of Research where we have fun exploring science through the lens of sci-fi, fantasy and pop culture. jothamaustin.substack.com Or find us where you listen to your other Podcasts (Apple, Spotify, YouTube, etc.)

Hello world!